Which would you do and Why?

[ssatterly]

Buy a package. (The gold Plan) Or buy everything seprate. Like tickets, food , otel, tours... Ect....For a family of 4 ages 6y/o 9y/o 30 y/o and 51 y/o? And would be staying at the WL?

Thanks Susie

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

I'm not familiar with the gold plan....BUT, sometimes packages aren't all they are meant to be as sometimes deals happen that the package does not take into account (room rates go on sale for example).

But for some to have pre-paid for most everything for a trip adds to peace of mind and it is one less thing you have to worry about when you are down here. You might even enjoy your meals more without having to worry about paying the tab when your meal is completed

I would calculate the cost of room and tickets separately plus your estimates for food...I usually allow $10/breakfast $15/lunch and $20-$50 pp for dinner....

Does the Gold Plan include character meals and shows like Mickey's Back yard BBQ, Polynesian Luau, or HDDR--now that would be well worth it if it inlcuded any of these

 

[gigi1313]

it totally depends... our family would never use all the "extras" a gold plan provides... if you have a long trip and will be able to make use of the recreation (i.e. golf), childcare centers, cirque tix, tours, plus eat three meals a day (we rarely do on vacation... sometimes dinner is just ice cream!), etc then a gold plan may be worth it... if not, you will be spending money for things you don't do...

i would make a spreadsheet... start by making a basic "outline" for your trip then list all the options and the costs (i.e. mouseboats, $30/hour, will use for 2 hours), etc and then do a comparison... w/all the pricing/menu info on allearsnet.com you can get a pretty accurate guesstimation of cost for meals, etc...

what we're doing is a compromise of the two... we're buying the basic (5+2 dreammaker) and going for the prince/princess add-on... after doing the math, silver just wasn't worth it for us...

 

[Skylarr29]

I would do everything seperate although I have never done a package before. With all the tips and tricks I learned from this board I have always saved more money planning everything myself than buying a package(I do live in FL and drive to disney so this might not be the case if you have to travel far) I would also considor possibly buying an annual pass for one of the children in your group or everyone if you plan on returning within a year. Dh and I usually buy ap's and then take a trip in sept one year and then teh next year we just go a few weeks erlier before our passes expire. You can save a large amount of money on hotels by having a pass and only one person in your party needs to have one for the price to apply. This sept we are staying at the WL for 8 nights in a courtyard view room for only 1222 or something about 137 a night and in the value season the standard rooms are 109 with the ap discount.You also get a discount on tours with an ap and like I said before only ONE person in your party needs to have one. It also gives discounts for certain food places, mini golf, water parks I believe , shopping and more.

 

[zurgswife]

99% of the time I find it cheaper to not do a package.....and it is cost that is the biggest factor for me....If that isn't a factor then have someone else plan it all and just pay the extra...

 

[Tiffany]

Originally posted by ssatterly
Buy a package. (The gold Plan) Or buy everything seprate. Like tickets, food , otel, tours... Ect....For a family of 4 ages 6y/o 9y/o 30 y/o and 51 y/o? And would be staying at the WL?

Thanks Susie

Hi,

You really need to price it out and do the math. I have found that we can usually do our trips cheaper by doing everything seperatly but there are different factors that come into play for each group.

 

[RoyalCanadian]

I've taken a look at the Bronze, Silver and Gold Packages and, IMHO, the Bronze package is the only one that is worthwhile for me. That is to say -- I can see getting $30/day value from it. The Silver package @ $58/day has its possibilities but I just can't see squeezing $139/day value from the Gold Plan and still tour the parks.

That is the cruncher there. There is lots the plans offer -- but to take advantage of these things, you can't be touring the parks at the same time -- and the minute you don't do something the plan offers you, Disney has won the advantage and you have lost money.

Add to that the thought of three Disney meals a day. All I'd be doing is eating. Yuck.

 

[swilphil]

Another vote for separately.

 

[hockey mom]

I would also say do it seperately mainly because you are first timers. With all there is to see and do in Disney you will not have time for the tours and such. My kids also love the Mickey ice-cream bars and little snacks throughout the parks leaving little room for a sit down meal.

 

[NotTooGoofy]

We've priced packages vs. paying for things separately. The biggest drawback for my family is that my two DDs don't eat big meals. So it works best for us to pay for our own meals.

 

[dansyr]

I love the gold plan....but for adults or families with older children. To make the most out of the gold plan, you need to do mostly nice sit down meals. For most children, I would think they would get antsy sitting through some of these meals.